Cutting the chamfers. This is a critical operation and must be done with the utmost care. A similar chamfer is also cut into the block.
Fitting the block. This is not glued in and must be a perfect fit. The block is made from very stable timber which does not swell too much when wet, and readily absorbs water to prevent the windway from glogging with moisture during playing.
Cutting the beak. After cutting, the beak is carefully sanded smooth and finished with a porous sealant
Tuning the recorder by undercutting the finger holes. This process smooths out the response and balances the octaves for each note. I often carry out this operation in parallel with the voicing as tuning can slightly alter the tone of some notes.
The finished recorder!
Time taken from start to finish for this instrument is approximately 30 hours, not including the time needed to make the reamers.
You have complete freedom of choice for your recorder. I can make copies of historical recorders by most of the great makers (Bressan, Stanesby, Denner, van Heerde, Haka, etc.). However, you do not have to be bound by these designs. You can, for instance, have a Denner style windway fitted to a Bressan body, or a Baroque voicing to a Medieval recorder. It's your choice. The options below represent the extremes available. You don't have to choose any of these variations, but they are available if you want them.
Exterior Design. Choose from any known recorder profile, such as Baroque, Renaissance, Medieval, or design your own! Within the Baroque range, you can specify either a generic Baroque profile or a specific one like a Stanesby, Bressan, Steenbergen, Denner, van Heerde, Haka, etc.
Bore Profile. Select any bore profile you wish, such as Baroque, Renaissance, Medieval, Transitional, Ganassi.
Some combinations of outside profile and bore don't go well together. I can advise you whether a chosen bore profile will fit within a given outside profile shape. For instance, I can create a Medieval or Renaissance looking instrument with a Baroque bore, but a Medieval or Ganassi bore will not fit within a Baroque outside profile (a Baroque foot section is too small in cross section to accommodate the width of a Medieval or Ganassi bore).
Tuning. I can accommodate most tuning schemes. By default I use equal temperament, but I can also produce recorders with other temperaments such as Werkmeister, etc.
Fingering. Where possible I try to adopt the standard Baroque fingering pattern for all my recorders. For a few instruments, such as the Ganassi bore, this is not possible for the full range. On request, I can adjust the fingering patterns in some cases, although the variations possible are limited by the bore profile.
Voicing. For this, the most critical feature of any recorder, you have a complete choice. I can generally make recorders with the sound you want. There are limitations, however. The range of notes obtainable with a given bore profile depends on the voicing, and vice versa. The dependence varies greatly from one bore design to the next. I can advise you on whether a particular tone colour is compatible with your selected design.
Pitch. I make recorders at any required pitch. Modern pitch is at a'=440Hz and modern low-pitch is at a'=415Hz.
However, I can match other pitches such as the original pitch of antique instruments (e.g. a'=405Hz) or renaissance pitch at a'=466Hz. I can also lower or raise the pitch slightly to accommodate a player's high or low breath pressure respectively.
Timber(s). If I have it, you can have it. My favourite timbers are Maracaibo Boxwood and Lemonwood, but I have stocks of other timbers as well. I can also embellish joints with contrasting timbers or imitation ivory. I can even use your own timber; I have made recorders from storm-felled fruit-trees.
If I don't have your required timber, I can probably get it (but see timber policy below). However please bear in mind that it takes several years to properly season the wood before I can use it. Obviously, where possible I buy seasoned or part-seasoned stock, but I still keep the timber indoors for a few years before using it. Some stock, like genuine Boxwood, can take a decade before it's really ready for use. I won't use rapidly dried stock for my instruments as I don't trust the dimensional stability of such material.
Genuine European Boxwood is becoming hard to find in good enough quality. Many makers seem willing to fill knots and cracks in poor quality small-section timber, just to be able to state that a recorder is made from genuine Boxwood.
This seems to me to be a pointless exercise as there are excellent alternative timbers with equally good tone properties and better dimensional stability.
Timber policy: Although I will do my very best to meet your timber requirements, I will not use rare or endangered timber species. Although I use very little timber annually, I am very careful about sourcing my timber. I only buy from responsible suppliers who obtain their stock from a sustainable source and actively encourage a maximum replanting policy from their suppliers.
Thumb Bushing. If you want one (most people do), I'd recommend a polished bone thumb bushing. I can also use
certain hard timbers like African Blackwood, Karanda, etc., or imitation ivory.
Finish. Your choice. My favourite is a tung based oil finish. This is built up gradually using many coats until a deep lustre sheen is achieved. This is hard wearing, easy to renovate, looks beautiful and doesn't mask any detail of the turning. An alternative is linseed oil, popular with many makers, but is easily scratched. There are also some excellent polymer sealants available, which are incredibly hard wearing, but more difficult to repair if damaged than oil finishes. The polymer finishes can be either a high gloss or a semi-gloss finish. Other possible finishes include shellac based polishes, wax polishes and varnishes.
I generally don't recommend staining or colouring recorders. Wood is a beautiful natural product and I always feel it is a shame to hide the beauty of the grain and its natural colour. However, I can certainly colour or stain your recorder to your requirements if you wish. I regret that for reasons of safety, I am unable to acid stain recorders.
Bore Oil. I prefer to use Almond oil in all of my recorders. I add a small quantity of vitamin E (an antioxidant) to the oil to prevent it degrading through oxidation or decay. On request, I can use other bore treatments such as linseed oil, tung oil, etc.